US government to compensate Absolute Poker’s Black Friday players
Department of Justice begins claims process for players who were unable to withdraw funds following Black Friday
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the launch of a compensation program for Absolute Poker players who were unable to withdraw funds following the events of Black Friday.
Garden City Group, the same firm used to refund Full Tilt Poker players, has been retained by the acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York to oversee a process for compensating eligible victims.
A statement from the US DOJ said: “The Department of Justice has concluded that players of Absolute Poker who were unable to recover their funds from Absolute Poker are similarly situated to the eligible victims of Full Tilt Poker, in that Absolute Poker, like Full Tilt Poker, did not maintain funds sufficient to repay all of its players.”
In 2011, the federal government shut down PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker for continuing to operate in the US after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act came into force in 2006.
Following Black Friday, PokerStars agreed to forfeit $547m to the US government and to assume Full Tilt Poker’s liability for the approximately $184m owed to foreign players.
To date, approximately $118m has been paid to Full Tilt Poker players.
The full announcement can be read here.